The Invention of Lying

This movie had a hard life. A lot of people walked out of theaters trash talking it. I honestly think the only reason this movie is being criticized so harshly is because it pokes at religion. It was the best allegory on religion since Cat's Craddle. This movie was interesting, and it really makes the viewer think about human values. Just because a movie mimics reality so honestly it seems absurd is not a reason to dislike something. How do you dislike the truth. I think people should watch this movie remembering it's just a movie. Friendly advice: don't get your panties all bunched up before you sit down in the dark for two hours.

The Invention of Lying, is a hilarious comedy that also offers some thought provoking truths.

I'm not sure whats up with people's comments on this movie. I honestly enjoyed myself. This is a very British style humor, wonderfully executed by Gervais. The concept had a different potential then people are expecting. This is not Carry/Liar, Liar humor. You have to be a bit more witty and insightful then that to enjoy this movie. The casting was great on this film. I'm glad Hill took on a serious role and did it well. I really liked Garner in this film. She was fantastic and played off of Gervais very well. I also liked the way they portrayed a world without lie; very well thought out. Overall, good concept put on screen and wonderfully played. Great job.

There is a certain re-training of the mind that a film expects of us in order to fully enjoy the place it seeks to take us. This film, in the first act we are taught, in a rather funny way that the world of this film is to say the least - honest. Everyone coldly delivers, whether asked or not - exactly what is on their mind. It takes a good 1/4 of the film to fully understand exactly the world where there is no opposite to truth. And those moments are worth the price of admission alone.

As a viewer I enjoyed the random interactions that a world where truth is embedded in the framework of all social interaction. With no deviation.

By the time Gervais comes across the knowledge that an alternate way of communication exists in "saying what wasn't" we embark on a tale of a man who essentially won the "lying Lottery".

The humour is subtle, the contrast of religious themes are not so, and that may have been the weakest of elements in the film. Sadly those who think there is a single element of disrespect towards religion from within the world of the film are I believe incorrect. While religious digs may have been the impetus for the films creation, from within the film, Mark's character seems to make a clear delineation between an evil lie and a white lie. And his character never seems comfortable for too long with a lie that affects the lives of many.

The film does have a one of the more sweet and quietly powerful scenes where Mark creates an alternate afterlife for his mother. Because I don't view this film through a filter of religious expectation I found this scene to be simply powerful and poignant.

I enjoyed it, as did my partner. We talked the whole way home, and recreated some of the laughs on the way to the car. That is not a lie.

Ricky Gervais writes, directs and stars in this high concept romantic comedy about a schlub living a sad life in a universe where no person can tell a lie. He becomes the first man to say something that isn't true, and thus is able to become rich and powerful. He can even finally come close to attracting Jennifer Garner, a woman he's had a crush on for a long time. Things go awry, though, when he makes up a story about an omnipotent man in the sky and a happy afterlife to comfort his dying mother. The premise is interesting, but pretty thin. The world created is so unbelievable and the characters so far away from what we know as human that, especially in its final act when it tries to get dramatic, you can't come close to investing in it emotionally. However, the gags are often hilarious, and the cast is quite good (besides its stars, it also has Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Louis CK, Jonah Hill and Jeffrey Tambor, with some really fun cameos by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Bateman and Edward Norton). This isn't anywhere close to the previous year's Gervais vehicle, Ghost Town, which I think deserves to be something of a minor classic in the romantic comedy genre, but it's well worth a rental.

In a world where people can only tell the truth, Ricky Gervais creates the lie. What follows this simple concept with great potential is a series of quick fire jokes made funny by the sheer bluntness of the absolute truth. The screenplay is lightly comical but rarely laugh-out-loud funny and continually relies on the same concept.

As the plot progresses, it veers from quick-fire jokes to a parody of religion. On the one hand, this offers an interesting and thought-provoking reflection; however, I found the developing plot to become mildly preachy and irritating to watch. The humour level drops and the religious overtones and romantic subplot overshadow the interesting idea.

Visually, I found the film to be rather drab and dreary. Similarly, I didn't care for the dowdy and monotonous score and soundtrack choices. I understand that these are probably intended to represent a world without fiction, but they make the film a little tedious to watch and don't add anything to the movie. I enjoyed Jenifer Garner's performance as Gervais' love interest which she's plays with harsh yet likable realism, but Gervais' lead performance left me a little cold. In combination with lacklustre screenplay, I was left unimpressed with the utilisation of a potentially hilarious and fascinating concept.

The Invention of Lying is a quiet, simple movie on the surface, but underneath lies a more complex, thought-provoking moral allegory, albeit one that fails to deliver anything truly remarkable. It tries to be clever, but fails to deliver.

5/10.